I'll See You In Avalon
by reno-xxxXXXxxx
Summary: Death is horrible experience, especially when you watch it happen to one of your closest friends. One-shot about a scene in Tomb Raider: Underworld. WARNING: Contains mega-spoilers.


**A/N: **This the first thing I've put in aaaages... and this is first story I've put up that hasn't been about Reno lol. Just a little bit of writing I did ages ago about a scene in Tomb Raider: Underworld.

Has anyone else noticed that they've spelt Alister's name wrong in the story upload bit?

**WARNING: This one-shot contains a mega-spoiler for the game.**

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**I'll See You In Avalon**

Her face was haunting, lingering beyond the glass, just out of my focused vision. I took a step back, and she mimicked me. Forwards, and the same thing occurred. Horrible thoughts were forming in my head about what was going on. Memories of my adventures years ago flooded back. I took a step forwards to take a closer look, and she once again she imitated me. Her smirking face was right in front of me now, her red hair falling into a face that was practically identical to mine, her deep amber eyes glinting with menace.

A doppelgänger.

I heard a cough from somewhere beyond the glass, and saw Alister stumble out from a doorway, no doubt trying to escape the fire. He clutched his chest, and looked up at me, looking momentarily horrified at the double vision in front of him. I wanted desperately to shout for him to run, but it was too late. My apparent twin twisted around hastily, raised her gun and fired.

"No!" I cried. The shot had hit Alister square in the chest, I had seen it, but as I made to run forwards, the doppelgänger smashed the glass of the surveillance room with one swift movement, and appeared before me. I didn't understand how this creature could achieve such speed and strength. My mind quickly shot back to Alister though, him lying on the floor, bleeding, and probably not long for this world, and I raised my guns just as she had done. There was no change of expression on her face, still that infuriating smirk, but I fired anyway. I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't have seen it, but she ducked, my shot flying over her head to somewhere in the distance. I tried throwing a punch at her, but she blocked it with her forearm and swung a kick around to catch me in the back of the ankle. I lost my balance, but before I could get back up, she had gone. Running straight through the fire surrounding us, she left the manor. I just prayed she wouldn't do anything to Zip and Winston whom were now hopefully outside.

I ran as fast as I could, and I could see he was still alive. He was curled up on his side, clutching his chest and choking slightly, coughing up small amounts of blood as he did so. The sight was quite horrific.

"Alister..." I whispered, rolling him over onto his back, praying that he could hear me. "Alister, can you hear me?"

He groaned and lifted his head slightly, his pale blue eyes clouded with pain. "I... I feel b-bloody awful."

"Just lie still..." I said, desperately, trying to gently push his head back down.

"I-" he began. His voice was becoming faint; he was fading fast.

"Alister, just hold on." I pushed gently onto his chest, trying to keep him breathing.

"I'll see you... in Avalon." his voice faded gently away as his tired eyes flickered closed. I just knelt there, for what felt like a lifetime, ignoring the shivering in my spine that came from the almost unbearable heat from the flames surrounding me. I could hardly believe this moment was real; how could he be dead? I was determined to find some sort of sign that he was still alive. I put my fingers up to his neck, me heart sinking as there was no pulse through his pale, clammy skin.

I looked up, a new wave of hatred flowing through my veins. I knew I must give whoever was responsible what they deserved. And a had a horrible feeling I knew who the 'unfortunate' soul was.

I slipped my arm underneath Alister's back, a feat that was surprisingly terrifying for me now. I lifted him with ease and rested him gently over my shoulder, as I tried to figure out how I would get out of what was once my home.

Too many friends of mine have been killed for reasons I can only blame myself for. I should have never gotten Alister and Zip involved in all of this. A lot of things wouldn't have happened then, such as Amanda invading the manor and literally tearing information out of them; being captured by soldiers in England... and we would have never shared any of the adventures that we had puzzled through over the years. I would never have really known them, not properly.

Luckily, the exit to the manor was fairly clear so my escape was simple. I could see Zip and Winston over in the distance, looking unharmed, save for Zip's leg injury. Relief flooded through me; if something happened to them as well... I don't think I'd be able to live with myself.

As I got closer, they both turned around. I almost felt like crying at the look of shock horror on their faces. And crying is not something I make a habit of doing. Zip make to move forwards, but I guess his leg pained him too much. I couldn't blame him really.

"No..." he said, his eyes wide with fear. "He's not..."

"I'm sorry." I muttered, not looking him in the eyes. I leaned forwards and placed his body carefully on the cold ground. Raindrops fell onto his face, running down his cheeks as though the heavens were crying for him. I leaned down and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. The rain was soaking through my clothes, but I ignored it. I was already numb to the bone.

"What the hell was that thing?" Zip asked angrily. I looked up at him.

"I've only seen something like it once before..." I explained. "A doppelgänger that Natla sent after me years ago. Only that one didn't have a mind of it's own."

"How could it have been Natla if she's Amanda's prisoner?" Winston asked, also looking down at Alister's lifeless form.

"They're a team of sorts now; Amanda and Natla, her pet Atlantian God." I practically spat that last bit, rage still boiling in my blood.

"So, what now?" asked Zip, looking at me expectantly.

"After I deal with the authorities, I'm going to Southern Mexico, to retrieve Thor's belt." I explained simply. Natla and Amanda's attack would not stop me from doing what I knew I needed to do.

"What?" Zip stared at me, confusion filling his deep brown eyes. "Alister's dead... and it's just business as usual?"

"I need Thor's belt to get his hammer..." I said. My voice was becoming very angry now, but I only hoped Zip knew it wasn't him I was angry at. "And I need his hammer to kill a God."

I didn't wait for their response, for some reason I didn't really care. All I knew is that I was more determined than ever to finally defeat Natla... but not before putting Amanda in her place. They would pay for what happened to Alister.

And Alister... he had worked so hard to help me these past few months. He had researched until he was practically passing out in the study about Excalibur, and Thor's hammer; and any way I could find out the truth about what had happened to my mother. I would make sure his work, and his death, were not in vain.


End file.
